Endangered African Painted Dog Pups Born at Binder Park Zoo

Binder Park Zoo - African Painted Dogs Jan 17 2019

Binder Park Zoo is proud to announce the birth of 11 African Painted Dog pups late last year.

The Zoo released a statement Wednesday about the birth that occurred November 30th. The parents, four-year-old mother Ghost and 11-year-old father Verizon, have bonded quite well, as Binder’s staff has monitored their activity and care attentively.

The Zoo stated that Ghost was placed at Binder Park Zoo in 2017 as a breeding recommendation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as part of a Species Survival Plan. Verizon has been at Binder since 2012 as a transplant from the Bronx Zoo, and one of three brothers that came to the Zoo.

Binder Park Zoo has had African Painted Dogs since 1998 and opened a new exhibit for them in 2017 in Wild Africa. This is the second successful birth of the rare species at the Zoo. The African Painted Dog is the most endangered carnivore in Africa.

The puppies are born blind. Zoo staff has allowed the family to become acclimated to each other with a hands-off approach, and have just recently done their first physical examinations. All 11 puppies have been considered healthy and normal as they received their first vaccinations.